In the early part of the last century, the religion known as Christian Science became popular. It was largely supported by wealthy women. In many small cities, Christian Science Reading Rooms became part of the landscape. Their small, well-designed buildings became fixtures across America.
That denomination has largely waned. Since then, similarly wealthy women have been involved in many, many distractions. Today, many have embraced one or more branches of environmentalism as a worthy replacement for the faith of their ancestors. They speak knowingly of “global warming” and “rising sea levels”.
T.S. Eliot described this process in a mere sentence:
“In the room, women come and go,
and talk of Michaelangelo.
“Room” symbolizes the period of conscious life.
